All-Star Weekend Review

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By Jordan Watters, Media Relations Intern

This past weekend was one of the most historic WNBA All-Star Weekends since the league’s inception. Both the East and West team performances were remarkable and record-setting. Now that the weekend has come to a close, it is time to catch up with the Atlanta Dream All-Star players and coaches, recapping their experiences in Phoenix, Ariz.

Veterans Angel McCoughtry and Erika de Souza, and rookie Shoni Schimmel represented the Dream in the All-Star game. They were joined by the Dream coaching staff as well, where Head Coach Michael Cooper was the helm of the East.

Coach Cooper described the game as exciting, but the climax was Schimmel winning the MVP Award.

“The highlight of my weekend was watching our player, Shoni Schimmel, excel the way she did by scoring 29 points and the type of game she had,” Cooper said. “We knew that was a part of her, which is why we drafted her as our No. 1 pick. But to actually see it come and let the world see it was great!”

McCoughtry concurred with Cooper’s sentiments.

“Shoni just showed out. I’m glad that somebody from the Atlanta Dream got the MVP. It definitely puts Atlanta on the map, and hopefully the city gets excited about having such big players on their team,” McCoughtry said.

Of course “Showtime Shoni” was excited about her first All-Star weekend, but there was one moment that meant the most.

“My highlight was being able to spend time with my family because I haven’t been able to hang out with them,” Schimmel said. “But overall the weekend was great. It was a lot of fun to just go out there and have different scenery and play with different players. I was telling Tamika Catchings that I’m glad she was on my team and not playing against me.”

De Souza agreed that it was a great opportunity to play with “some of the best players in the world.” But she also stated, “Now I have forgotten about the weekend, and I am ready to play our next game.”

Although the weekend of relaxation and fun is over, the Dream All-Stars are ready for an exciting second half of the season.